Tower Down - 06.11.20 (VA) "UPDATED 09.09.21"

[TowNews]

Tow truck driver dies after he was struck on I-95 ramp

 

A tow truck driver has died after he was struck on an Interstate 95 entrance ramp in Fredericksburg on Thursday.

 

Louis J. Rich, 29, of Locust Grove, died at Mary Washington Hospital, according to a statement Saturday from the Virginia State Police.

 

At 12:35 p.m. Thursday, a 2020 Chevrolet Impala was on the southbound entrance ramp at Plank Road when the vehicle crossed the white fog line and struck Rich. The Impala then hit the tow truck on the shoulder, VSP spokesperson Sgt. Brent Coffey said.

 

The driver of the Chevrolet, Christopher R. Minor, 29, of Woodford, was uninjured. Minor has been charged with reckless driving, driving without a license and failure to wear a seatbelt, Coffey said.

 

Virginia State Police Culpeper Division Crash Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and is assisting with the ongoing crash investigation, he said.

 

A tow truck driver was struck by a car and killed June 8 in a crash on Interstate 495 in Fairfax County.

 

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[yoBdaBenO]

Sad, I didn't see this one anyplace else but here. R.I.P. Driver

[TowZone]

Woodford man convicted in death of tow-truck driver in Fredericksburg

 

A man who struck and killed a tow-truck driver on the Interstate 95 entrance ramp in Fredericksburg last year was convicted Tuesday of DUI-manslaughter.

 

Christopher R. Minor, 29, of Woodford convicted by Judge Gordon Willis following a trial in Fredericksburg Circuit Court. Minor, who was acquitted of a drug possession charge, will be sentenced Sept. 9.

 

According to the evidence presented by prosecutor Wenonah Petersen, 29-year-old Louis J. Rich was outside his tow truck about 12:35 p.m. June 11 on the ramp leading from eastbound State Route 3 to southbound I–95. It is not clear why Rich was stopped on the ramp.

 

Virginia State Police troopers testified that Minor’s 2020 Chevrolet Impala crossed the white fog line and struck Rich before striking his 2006 International tow truck.

 

Rich was taken to Mary Washington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

 

Trooper A. Lubbers testified Tuesday that Minor told him he’d taken Percocet, but said he didn’t notice any signs of intoxication at the scene.

But Petersen put on evidence that Minor had several controlled substances in his system when his blood was drawn several hours after the crash.

 

Defense attorney Anna Lindemann argued that Minor was not intoxicated at the time of the crash and said the amounts of drugs in his system were minimal and that he passed field sobriety tests. She said Minor didn’t see Rich and that Rich’s death was simply a tragic accident.

 

The felony Minor was convicted of carries a penalty of between one to 10 years in prison. Minor has been in the Rappahannock Regional Jail since November.

 

 

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[Moose]

A sentence of 1 to 10 years? Even the MAX does not fit the crime of DUI-manslaughter.

 

A 10 year minimum is still not enough to send a message to others about driving impaired.

 

Think about it, if the judgement is 1 year then he likely walks out that day with time served.

[TowZone]

Man sentenced to nearly five years for Fredericksburg crash that killed tow-truck driver

 

A man who killed a tow-truck driver last year by driving into him on the Interstate 95 entrance ramp in Fredericksburg was ordered Thursday to serve four years and eight months in prison.

 

Christopher R. Minor, 30, of Woodford, was sentenced by Judge Gordon Willis to a total of 10 years and six months in prison, with five years and 10 months suspended. Minor was previously convicted in Fredericksburg Circuit Court of DUI-manslaughter and driving without a license.

 

The evidence presented by prosecutor Wenonah Peterson showed that 29-year-old Louis J. Rich was outside his tow truck about 12:35 p.m. on June 11, 2020, when Minor’s 2020 Chevrolet Impala crossed the white fog line and struck Rich and his 2006 International tow truck. Minor said he looked down briefly and accidentally drifted into Rich.

 

At his sentencing Thursday, Minor expressed remorse for the tragedy. Several family members praised Minor as a father and a provider.

Peterson asked Willis to sentence Minor to a sentence above the recommended state sentencing guidelines, but Willis settled on an active sentence at the top of the guidelines.

 

Defense attorney Anna Lindemann argued that although Minor had controlled substances in his blood when it was drawn several hours after the crash, a trooper at the scene didn’t notice any signs of intoxication at the scene. She said the levels were so low that it was likely that the drugs were taken the night before.

 

RESOURCE LINK